Welcome Circus Animals
by Never-chan
Summary: Kagome is a priestess but also the heiress of the great lord Naraku, but due to his death she must live alone in a shrine with many servants and then she meets them the traveling circus who changes her life forever.


**Summary**: Kagome is a priestess but also the heiress of the great lord; Naraku but due to his death she must live alone in a shrine with many servants and then she meets them; the traveling circus who changes her life forever

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**Welcome Circus Animals **

**By: Vampira, the damned**

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(Start)

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"My lady, I am sorry to inform you your brother is dead" said the servant bowing lowly and the woman turned her head to the side to block out the pain of his words

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"My lady?"

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**"**Leave – send for his daughter, she is the only one now the true heiress and I will need to proceed with her training as soon as possible"

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"Yes mi lady, the princess shall be in your presence shortly"

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"Thank you – now go, and leave me to mourn in peace" said the woman as she waved off the servant to be left alone, but it wasn't such a good idea as she eyes began to cloud over with unshed tears, her sapphire eyes held sadness within the depths so deep it was sure to be a passage to her soul and with her long raven locks, fashionable kimono as high attire she looked more than beautiful, but she also gave off the impression of royalty

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Sighing, she lay her head down in her hands had it really come to this? Was her dear brother dead – and if so was it right to put a little girl threw so much with the news of her fathers death much less to leave her to run a entire kingdom?

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Her brother Lord Naraku Higurashi was the high king off all the lands – though he was a hanyou he as still greatly looked upon and then he fell in love with a human who had their first two children. It was that love that caused the war upon the kingdom. And not only the death of the late queen, the kidnapping of the crowned prince but now the death of the King.

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000

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"Auntie Suijin" yelled a small voice as a little girl bound into the room, she wore a light pink kimono. Her long midnight locks were pulled back to a looped ponytail with many pins to hold the locks in place. Her ice blue eyes shone with tears as she ran into the safety of her aunt's arms

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"Papa's not dead is he?" she sobbed but it was more of a statement then a question and the woman, also known as Lady Suijin Higurashi smiled sadly as the girl cried her heart out

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"I'm afraid so – Kagome I need you to do something very important for me will you?" she asked after the girl's sobs subdued and she wiped away the tears with her thumb

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"Uh huh"

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"Alright, since you are the only one in your family left –"

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"But I have you auntie, or are you going to leave too?" asked Kagome as she looked back up teary eyed and Lady Suijin smiled

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"No I will not leave you, but as you know I am not royalty unlike you who is the last in the Higurashi line. You are a princess Kagome and I fear with this war still going on that you will be next on the villagers list" said Suijin as she watched her niece shudder at the thought

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The poor girl, she had first witnessed her mother's death on the night of her brother's birth, when he was also kidnapped. – That was six months ago and the palace was ready to call the boy dead but every time they thought of doing so the captors would leave some kind of message letting them know that their prince was still alive. Then she was to bear the news of her father's death that the little girl loved more than life. She was the only one who could get threw to him after the death and disappearance of the other two members of the Higurashi family.

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It was said that when King Naraku died be begging not for his, but his daughter's life and that if one hair were harmed on her head he would make sure they rot in hell with him. But that was something Suijin never planned to tell sweet, innocent little Kagome as she did not need that burden on her shoulder, hells she didn't need the burden of a kingdom either

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"Auntie Suijin?" asked Kagome seeing her beloved aunt and last living family member deep in thought

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"Oi, Kagome – I'm sorry my mind still wanders, …" said Lady Suijin with an apologetic smile and Kagome nodded excepting

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That's okay"

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"Such a sweet girl, come Kagome to the gardens I fear what I must tell you will effect you very much and the gardens always seems like a calming place" she said, offering a slender hand to the girl who took it and the two walked out into the gardens adorned by light

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Kagome gave a lopsided grin as she breathed in the heavy scent of the flowers, she always loved flowers and at times when the war seemed to have calmed she would play out here for hours – singing and dancing doing whatever her hearts content "What is it you ask of me Auntie?"

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"Kagome, as you know that when your brother went missing you were claimed the rightful heir of the throne again – "said Lady Suijin as she watched the little girl nod but her eyes seemed to be averted else where – to the flowers

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"Papa always says that if anything were to happen to him that I would become the next queen" said Kagome unsure where this conversation was going but she had a feeling "Am I going to have to run Papa's kingdom?"

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"Not unless you don't want to"

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"But then who will? Cause you said I'm the last Higurashi" said Kagome pointedly confused at her Aunt's comment

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"Kagome, this is where I need you to think long and listen about this – I am willing to take over the kingdom until you are of proper age. Until then you will live at a small shrine and learn the ways of a priestess and the rules of royalty. It will be safe there and you will be loved and never lonely. And if you do not you could stay here, take over the kingdom now and take your chances with the villagers and the war" said Lady Suijin and Kagome sighed as she seemed to be deep in thought

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_'_**_What to do, what to do? If she stayed here with her aunt she would sure be a goner, and then who would look after her father's kingdom? But if she left like her aunt said, then she could take it over when she was of rightful age… She would not be afraid of mistakes and be able to have more control over everything. But leaving seemed like such the cowardly thing to do and she was NO coward._ **

_**Though – if she did leave her father's kingdom would still be in the hands of a Higurashi as her aunt was related by blood. And her father always said he would rather die than see his kingdom in the hands of another, other than another Higurashi. So by leaving she would be keeping his promise and then she would come back and be able to produce more of her blood – wait produce Kagome Tomoyo Higurashi you're only SEVEN! Feh then why was she left with a kingdom? **_

_**Well what's done is done and she was 100 absolutely sure that her aunt was loyal and trustworthy so…'**_

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"I will go Auntie" she said breaking the silence in which seemed to have settled permanently

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"Kagome are you sure so soon? This is a big decision and I was thinking of giving you at least a couple days to think it over" said Lady Suijin but when she saw the determination and will power in the girl's eyes she knew there was no arguing with the small seven year old

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"No I will go, though could a bring a couple things?" asked Kagome as she looked up the smile that had seemed to of fallen when the news of her father came but was now back up, but inside she still hurt though she would not show her emotions like that in the open ever again. That she promised to her father's spirit knowing it was the one thing he hated

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"Of course, I will have Jinenji have your things packed and group of servants ready to go and I shall let you take a look threw your fathers things" said Lady Suijin as she got up as well did Kagome and held out her hand again "let us go little one"

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"Hai – "

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000

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Golden eyes danced with laughter and life, as the young boy was swung higher and higher up by his mother before she pulled him closer to her chest and danced in small circles with the boy

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"Higher mother, higher!" Squealed the boy as he laughed in his mother's embrace, his long sliver hair whipping in the wind as they moved in sync with another and his hanyou like dog ears twitched with contempt

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"Higher? Inuyasha I am getting quite winded here, you know you're not the little boy you once were" said the woman with a laugh and the little boy, known as Inuyasha pouted "Oh no, that won't work on me you little scoundrel" said the woman and Inuyasha blinked a couple time so tears began to for but his mother just kissed them away

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Lady Sayoko – was the wife to Inutaisho though Sayoko was a human and a lady of high class her husband was a youkai who owned a traveling circus where they lived and traveled across the lands. Though lately they had not been so fortunate as with the war in middle feudal (which was the palace of all the lands) going on the circus had temporarily disbanded to return home with their family. Those who did not have any traveled with the owners in with their carts but no shows went on.

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It was a while later her husband got sucked into this dreaded war and started talking long trips away from home leaving her, there son and their other son, Sesshoumaru alone to run the group of travelers. In fact her husband was so apart of the war now that two years ago he was named a general and had already lead a army of men and youkai to fight against the king's in which he come out the prosper. He was also the one would orchestrated the capture and murder of the crowned prince and Queen and the boy safely traveled with them in the fortuneteller; Kaede's care

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"Mother? What's wrong?" asked Inuyasha cutely as he looked up to see her distraught or perhaps deep in thought. One or the other he could never tell with his mother even though he was half demon

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"It's nothing Inuyasha now why don't we go back to camp site and see if the others need any help with dinner?" asked Lady Sayoko and he made a face

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"Feh, why do I need to do woman's work?" he asked rather arrogantly and Sayoko sighed, not only did her son inherit his looks from his father but also his attitude

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"Very well then, we _woman_ will eat all of dinner while you manly men will starve for not helping" said Sayoko as she put the small hanyou down and pretended to walk away but he quickly caught up and wrapped and protective arm around her leg

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"Just don't tell father?" he asked pleading and Sayoko smiled as she picked him up again and headed over to where a campfire was being built by the others who stayed behind

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000

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Sesshoumaru was not one to take part in 'group' activities, especially if they involved his ningen stepmother or hanyou half brother, he was always one to be an observer never too close to get hurt never too far to be left out

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He had learned that when his mother walked away from him, leaving him to fend for his own in this cold cruel world – he also learned that status was important. Youkai being on top, Humans and pitiful hanyou's on the bottom

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And it was those thoughts and opinions that made him like the idea of the ongoing war very much, as the four directional kingdoms were ruled by Youkai's – youkai's that came from the purest blood and the center kingdom the fifth was ruled by a pitiful hanyou who used to be human and his human family. Honesty why give all that power to _humans_?

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He detested the idea and he could see how many others like himself protested against it, people like his father had jumped into action when the word of revolt was in order and he himself would of to but he had obligations here to fulfill as he dare not leave his heritance of the circus company in the hands of his so called "family"

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So instead he waited here and trained everyday so that he could one day fight along side his father memory when he retired and he was allowed to enter the battlefield. And when his father came home he would ask about his battles and weather or not they were winning and strategies, he would often been seen up in his families cart drawing up possibilities galore of how to defeat the central palace – he was actually quite pleased when his father took him up on the idea to kidnap the crowned prince who now lived within his company.

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And when he presented the ideas to his father he would just grin his ruthful smile and ruffle his hair (something in which he hated but it _was_ his father that he loved somewhere under that cold demeanor) and then would take his plans and share them amongst his army, partly why he was looking so forward to today, as his father would be home

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A small smile graced his lips as in his left hand he clutched rolls of parchment of the latest plans he had thought up, but it was whipped away when he saw in the horizon, not his father but a group of soldiers where in a back wagon was a casket

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000

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Lady Sayoko was busy talking to Kaede while cooing the young human prince (she had also taken to mothering the boy, but how could anyone not he was just so cute. It was shame to who his heritage was) when she saw it, riding in the distance was her worst nightmare and the others seemed to notice also cause they all bowed there heads with sad eyes – another had fallen, but the question still remained who?

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000

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Inuyasha giggled as he played a small game of tag with Kikyou another child who was raised in the company's care. Her grandmother was Kaede and she was sent to live her when her parents died in an accident with a bear youkai – since then Inuyasha had taken it upon himself to befriend the girl and make her feel at home

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"Catch me if you can Kiki" he called out in a teasing tone and the young girl sighed, she had already fallen once while playing with the hanyou and ripped a hole in her kimono – something her grandmother Kaede would not be happy about but she also got dirt all over while being tackled

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"Not now Inu- my feet hurt and grandmamma won't be happy that you tore another one of my dresses" whined the girl, her warm brown eyes were filled with exhaustion and her ebony hair was matted to her forehead and back of her neck with perspiration, but she could say worse about the hanyou who was panting heavily and close to collapsing on the earth's floor as his silver hair was tangled beyond believe (Something that Sayoko took a hour every morning to comb)

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"Awe come one Kikyou, I know you have more than that" complained Inuyasha not believing that his fun was over, as being the hanyou that he is – he was given more energy than normal humans thus the reason why his mother tired to easily and as well as Kikyou

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"You right, I do have more and now your it" said Kikyou as he tagged him before running off

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"Hey – no fair, you tricked me" yelled Inuyasha as he chased after the giggling girl

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"Yeah well there's no rules in tag so there" she said as she stuck out her tongue and the boy grinned before launching himself at his friend and tackled them causing them both to fall

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"Feh, now you're it" he exclaimed loudly to the whole world as he sat upon Kikyou who roughly pushed him off

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"Gah! Inuyasha you're heavy" whined Kikyou and the silver haired boy blushed as he rolled off of her

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"Hey Kikyou?"

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"What?" she asked irritably but he ignored the tone in her voice as he heard it a lot

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"Do you think will always be friends?" he asked quietly as he picked the grass beneath him and Kikyou sighed plopping down next to him

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"I suppose so, why do you ask?"

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"I dunno I guess I like having you in my company" he said shrugging like it was no big deal, but it brought another question to the girl's mind

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"Hey Inuyasha if were going to be friends forever right? Then you promise to protect me until we die?" asked Kikyou and the question shocked her companion cause he blinked a couple times before nodding "good, now I can tell everyone than I have a strong youkai on my side" said Kikyou giggling and Inuyasha blushed

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"Kikyou I'm only half demon" he reminded her quietly but she smiled placed a small hand on his

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"No you're not, well maybe in real life you are but I will always see you as a youkai, my savior" said Kikyou with seriousness but broke into a fit of giggles as Inuyasha turned as red as his kimono eh, it that what it's called?

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"_INUYASHA!" _

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Hearing his mother's cries caused both children to stop in there tracks as Kikyou nodded and watched as her friend darted towards the camp fire in record speed, while she made her way to her cart to grab her bow and arrows before heading over

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000

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Like a knife jabbing into her heart a thousand times she listened as the soldier got off his horse and made his way over to her and eventually stopped to give a curt bow before he held something out for her to take, and the minute she saw the rolled up parchment she knew who had fallen

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"No not, Inutaisho not him please tell me it's not him" her cries were mingled with tears as she fell into the soldiers arms sobbing and wailing about her deceased husband she didn't even notice when her second son, her stepson Sesshoumaru came behind her and placed a calming hand on her shoulder

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"Lady Sayoko do not cry father would not want it" said the youkai as he picked the fallen scroll from the ground and handed back to her, although he did not like humans or his father choice in his ningen wife he was not as cold hearted to block out family in times of need

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"Thank you- Sesshoumaru your words are kind to me and for that I am grateful" she whispered as she dried the last of her tears though they still wanted to fall, she would cry for her mate in private where she could not make a fool of herself and disgrace the family name

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000

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"Your husband died in battle, and though he is not with us not with us now his sacrifice is what will make many like you live free today. As it was General Inutaisho's doing before his death that he was the one to slay King Naraku himself" said the soldier as he watched the grieving family of what his late commander left behind with great sadness in his eyes and then he turned to the oldest son

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"Your father did have some last wishes if anything were to happen to him, so if you would collect your younger brother we could proceed" said the soldier and Sesshoumaru frowned as he let go of his stepmothers shoulder

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"Half brother, the halfling is my _half_ brother" corrected Sesshoumaru with an icy glare, even in his time of mourning he would not let that little detail go unmissed by others.

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"My apologies" muttered the soldier as he turned to the grieving widow who nodded leaving to collect her son

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000

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Inuyasha felt his heart fall to the pit of his stomach as his mother delivered the news of his fathers dismissal of this world, at first he didn't know what to do.

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Cry? But that was something his father detested above all things so were he to get angry like his father did or stay silent like Sesshoumaru did? He was so confused or maybe the fact that his father was actually _gone_ and not just away hadn't hit him yet

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But in the end he ended on shedding a few tears in which his mother tried her best to soothe him, but she only ended up crying herself which didn't surprise Inuyasha very much as she cried a lot when his father was away but never had he seen her _-this-_ sad.

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000

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He wasn't really listening to the soldier who supposedly worked along side his father as he explained what General Inutaisho's last wishes were and then presented the two brothers, excuse me half brother with swords, he the Tessaiga and Sesshoumaru Tenseiga

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Even then when the sword was unscathed and given to him he barely nodded before handing it quickly to his brother as it was a curse and Sesshoumaru sighed as he nodded to the soldier in a sign of dismissal before he put both swords back in there hilts and handed Inuyasha's to his mother who understood and took it – all that ran threw Inuyasha's mind now was Why?

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Why, was it his father who died and not someone else's? Why did his father always have to be the hero instead of staying home where he belonged, with him and alive, why did the stupid central kingdom have to be run by humans so war was called across the lands, and men like his father were called off to join?

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In fact the more he thought about it, the more it came clearer to him, that this was all the royal families fault and he swore on that day that he would kill anyone who dared to go against his father's standards and he would make them pay

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000

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Kikyou sighed as she watched the boy she had a crush on run off after the soldiers left with sad eyes as the others turned back to what they were doing though they lost there cheer and looked more like zombies

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_'**Oh Inuyasha I promise that things will be all right again, and if not then I swear that every last Higurashi pays dearly…'**_

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000

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Kagome sighed as she sat back in her carriage that would take them to the shrine of her new home, her aunt had promised that the woman who lived there was an old friend of her mothers, in fact he was grandfather or something like that, since he was her mother's father's step brother it was confusing really but her aunt just said to call him Grandfather to make it all easier, but she was quite excited cause she never had a grandfather before or any grandparents as they all died before she was born

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Looking around the carriage she saw those who came with her, her best friend Tsuya was sleeping across from her, as Tsuya was also her second cousin who had lost her parents in the war as well so she was taken in as her playmate and as she got older would later come her maid in waiting. Her long black hair was fanned out over her face so you couldn't see her, but if you could you would see the skin of porcelain unlike her own complexion the colour of peaches

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Across from her sat her body guard in training, Hiten who was taken away from his village to come train at the palace where he would later serve the princess, Kagome herself – though the two were more like brother and sister than anything. Always bickering and making faces behind another's back

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Kagome was glad she had Hiten in this as he knew what it was also like to loose family unlike Tsuya who grew up never knowing hers, beside Hiten sat the little girl Koharu who was no more than five and was given to Kagome from a distant lord as a birthday present and though Kagome tried to tell everyone she didn't want a slave for a present much less a birthday present she knew what would happen to the girl if she declined the lord's offer so kept the little girl in spite of it, though as whining and shy she might be Kagome always found that she was a pleasure to be around and made a challenge for her.

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And last was Jinenji a hanyou who was a little on the deformed side, not as pretty as other hanyou's but what he didn't have in the looks department he made up for in his kindness – and though already 70 years old (which is still extremely young in youkai years) he cared for Kagome and her three servants like his own family and Kagome often thought of him of her guardian angel, well actually she thought of her father in that place as he always made her feel better and though he didn't show it to others he was there for her when they wouldn't look (kind of like the Sesshoumaru/Rin relationship) no she looked at Jinenji like her savior. The one who would always bail her out of trouble when needed to be, like an older brother who was a lot better than Hiten and his teasing ways.

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Giving a small smile she rested back against Jinenji's tunic and closed her eyes as tight as she could – she could feel the carriage go over numerous bumps in the road as the horse trudged along the road

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She could hear the labored breathing of her companions as they all slept peacefully in there own little worlds, she could smell the stench of her lavender soup she had used this morning, before everything turned wrong and she was on the run away from her own home

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And she thought maybe, just maybe if I close my eyes everything will go back to normal and when I open them father will be there – alive

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But when she opened her eyes, it was still the same, the _clip clop _of the horses hooves hitting the ground, the _swish_ of the driver cracking his whip to control the horses, the breathing of her four companions added in her own – it was still the same, she was still running and she began to cry

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She didn't known how long she sat there silently choking on her tears, afraid of waking the others but it must have been a while cause soon the carriage stopped and the driver came to tell them that they had arrived, but left quickly seeing the princess in distress

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_'_**_I promise you father, that when I'm older I will become the greatest ruler and make those barbarians pay for what they did to you – I swear on your grave that you'll be avenged. And that's a promise I will never break to you, Souta dear brother please be strong until I find you and you can claim what's rightfully yours'_ **

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000

**-**

Inuyasha stood tall beside the god tree, in the back of his mother's court yard, the wind blowing his long silver hair freely as he watched the seen below, which just happened to be his father's casket was lowered into the ground followed by his mothers

**-**

A week ago his father's life had been claimed. A week ago they had returned the Western Lands where there father was now being buried, a week was all he needed to have his childhood innocence turned into hate, a week was all it took for his mother to go insane and bring a bullet to her head.

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Just one week and he was already claimed an orphan,

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_'**I promise you father, I will avenge your death and make those royals suffer for the pain they have caused me and mother…'**_

_-_

(End)

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**Well what do you think? Good – Bad? In dire need of flames? Anyways you can tell me all about it in your review right so to get some things clear**

:DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Inuyasha**

**Also the characters; Jinenji, Tsuya, Hiten and Koharu and Suijin are not my but are also from Inuyasha if anyone watched the anime then they would find out just who they are and know that there roles in the anime don't mean zilch here, as I just used there characters**

**So with that said, I hope you liked and what are you going to do? Please Review of course O.o''**

**Vampira**


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